Unknown Love
by Lady Meiku Noire
Summary: Pairing: InoxShikamaru The two realize they love the other... but keep their feelings hidden out of fear... Jealousy and confusion begin to develop. Will either one finally get the courage? Fifth chapter Resolutions up. FINISHED D
1. Chapter 1 Intro

My very first fanfic…... . be nice

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…. If I did, I'd be off vacationing in the Bahamas.

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It all started a few days-no, weeks ago. These strange feelings and emotions, centered over a certain lazy genius with an IQ of 200, and a blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty. They didn't know why they happened, or how. Ino and Shikamaru were just best friends and nothing else. Or were they? People always thought they were a little too close to be "just best buddies". It was true, too. Everybody knew. Everybody except those two. When Ino was upset, she'd always go to Shikamaru. Not that he minded. In fact, he always felt this strange gladness, when she came to him. He'd willingly let her cry her heart out, with her face buried in his chest, and he'd hold her, and wipe away her tears. Who knew such a lazy ninja could be so tender? He never showed this kind of affection to anyone else, not even Temari. Only to Ino, was he so tender so loving. No wonder Ino went to him.

And when she was happy? She'd run to Shikamaru first thing, to share her good news, and he was always so happy, to see her happy. And yet, they were so oblivious to the fact that they were falling for each other, until now. Shikamaru was the first to feel, Ino to notice. Notice the strange way Shikamaru looked at her sometimes. A dark, passionate look filled with such want, it made her heart pound so hard, she thought the whole world could hear.

And Shikamaru? There were these times when he felt this sudden pang of love and want, deep in his heart, when he looked at her. He felt strangely jealous when he saw Ino paying attention to another guy. But most of all, he would suddenly notice things about her that he normally wouldn't notice. And that only increased his desire for her.

So it all began when….


	2. Chapter 2 Thoughts

Ohayo! Ugh... this thing took me forever to write... and I'm not even done yet... I might add a bit of KibaxHinata in this fic... what do you readers think? Well, I'll leave that up to you... I don't know if you have to do disclaimers every time, but oh well... **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's **characters...There... Well, on with the story.

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(Ino's thoughts) 

Have you ever gotten to a point where you're so confused, you don't know what to do next? Well, apparently, I'm at one of these points in my love life. Now, I'll admit that I'm not that perfect on the inside as I am on the outside. I thought I loved Sasuke, and that he was the only one for me… until Shikamaru got into the picture. We've been best friends since we were kids, and we do everything together.

Lately, he's been getting kind of… well… distant. At times, when we are doing our usual cloud-watching routine, I'd catch him staring at me instead of the clouds. His eyes have a faraway look in them, like in a dream. And… maybe a hint of… love? Usually, he notices, and quickly looks away, muttering excuses.

And then I'd go home and muddle my poor brain thinking about it. "Of course he doesn't like me, he likes Temari!" I would say to myself. But then, my other self would say, "Since when? You saw the day he practically yelled at her! And Shikamaru never yells."

"But I'm just his friend, and nothing else."

"Do you like him?"

"Of course not! I like Sasuke, and you know it!"

"Are you sure?"

"Well…"

And so on. So, one day, I went to Sakura, having enough of confusing myself. Her advice was: "Go with what your heart says." Well, what exactly does my heart say? That's what I've been trying to figure out all along!

Well, ever since that conversation, I've been thinking about Shikamaru more. I always wonder, when he goes on mission, if he's doing ok. I wonder where he is, what he's doing, what he's thinking...

I think I really am starting to like him... We've been together since we were kids, and he's always there for me. When I'm crying, he suddenly shows up at my doorstepor where I am, and comforts me. I never really thought about it much... But now I'm starting to notice how he's becoming a neccesity. Life seems so... dull without him. But even so... I don't know if he'll accept my feelings. I don't want to loose him...

(end of thoughts)

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(Shikamaru's thoughts) 

Damn, this is so troublesome. Who would've guessed that I would fall for someone like Ino? She's so perky and energetic, I just don't know what to do with her. Arguing with her might as well be the end of my life... she keeps nagging and nagging untill you can't stand it anymore. But... somehow, I don't mind all that... I just think of her as... I don't know... unique? Strangely, I don't find her troublesome, just the feelings I've been having.

Having no outlet for these thoughts of mine, I went to Asuma-sensei. When I confronted him about this... issue of mine, he chuckled and said something about youthful love... I really think Gai's starting to rub off on him... Well, he did give me some good information... "go with what your heart tells you." True, I do have an IQ of 200, but even I can't figure out exactly what this means!

Well, every day this feeling gets stronger and stronger. I start to wonder how Ino is, were Ino is... when I'll get to see Ino... and all that.

I also have to admitt that I've been spacing out when with her. Of course, I space out all the time, but this is different. I just stare at her for... some time... it's as if I'm in a daze, and I can't snap myself out of it. Of course, Ino's probably noticed this, since she's the one to snap me out of it.

Various times, I suddenly get this strange notion. I feel like Ino's hurt and I need to be there to comfort her. Every time, this feeling seemes to be correct. But... I don't feel any displeasure. holding her just feels so... natural. And when I deeply inhale, I smell the scent of wildflowers... feild lilies, water lilies, lily of the valley, roses, lilacs, lavender... A light and delicate mix of them all. I really can't get enough of it.

And there's jealousy. Whenever she's around another guy, I feel... jealous. Even when she's around Chouji. And I feel, strangly protective of her, although I really try to keep it in and not make an outburst.

But... after thinking about it for a few weeks... I realize that... I need her. I need to feel her in my arms. To inhale her lovely scent... To comfort her... To look into those deep, cerulean eyes of hers...I want to be the one to make her happy... To make her smile... I'll do anything for just one, single, solitary smile...

Yes, life can be a drag sometimes... But... I'll endure all the hardships and struggles... for Ino.

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There! Second chapter done... I'm so proud of myself! It's way longer than my first! Well, stay tuned... and remember to hit the purple button below and send in your review... and also whether or not you think I should add a little KibaxHinata in it... Other pairing suggestions welcome. 

Ja Ne,

WhiteLilyAngel


	3. Chapter 3 Beginnings

Chapter 3- Beginnings

And ohayo once again. Sorry for the delay... I was... uh...busy...shifty eyes... Well, here's the story. As for that review about the plot, there isn't one. At least, not yet. In this chapter, I'm hoping you'll get a hint of what I'm going at... And, I've decided not to add another pairing, for the sake of not ruining the fic and people's impression of it. After all, this is my first fanfiction.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. **If I did, I would make Shikamaru fall in love with Ino, and not Temari. I hate ShikaTema. End of comment. Anyways, on with the story...

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Shikamaru woke up on an ordinary day, with ordinary birds chirping outside his bedroom in the village of Konoha. Groaning, he sat up in his bed and muttered, "Troublesome..." Just a typical morning for a lazy ninja who would really rather sleep the whole day. But not this morning. Oddly enough, this morning he was looking forward to training with his team. Shikamaru never looked forward to it. It required him to wake up earlier, rather then sleep in, as he would do. What caused this miracle, the sudden change in his behavior? 

The reason was simple. He wanted to see a certain Ino Yamanaka. At first, the idea of looking forward to training just because of seeing a girl shocked and -to tell you the truth- horrified him. It was against his nature- Shikamaru was the laziest ninja in Konoha, and spent most of his time daydreaming and cloud-watching then worrying about girls.

Usually, he found girls hard to interpret, understand, and in all, just plain troublesome.

But after a while, he began to see what he was going through.

He still didn't understand it fully though. This sudden want to see a certain someone, the painful longing when he saw her, the vigorous pounding of his heart when her smile reached him, and the sharp pang of jealousy when he saw her all over that stupid Uchiha Sasuke. He understood it was all love, and that he was falling for Ino, but he didn't understand why these feelings felt this way.

All this was going through Shikamaru's head as he got ready to head to his team's training spot. Sighing, he thought, "No use pondering over it," and walked out the door, shouting to his parents his leave. The cool, crisp breeze hit him as he stepped out into the streets of Konoha, and he turned in the direction of his training spot.

All this Shikamaru did, without even noticing the worry on his parent's faces about his odd behavior recently. They sighed, and hoped for the best.

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Ino, on her side, woke much the same as Shikamaru, and was also looking forward to training... usually. However, this morning, she woke rather irritable and tired, instead of her usual cheery and energetic mood. The day before, she had spent nearly the whole time arguing with ''forehead girl" aka Sakura, and spent much of the night thinking about a certain someone. 

The ''someone'' was... Sasuke? No, suprisingly not him, although she was disapointed that he had hardly even looked her way yesterday, much less muttered even a word to her. No, she was thinking about a certain "pineapple head".And she was going to be seeing him at their daily training. The thought embarrassed her, and she wondered if he knew he was in her mind.

She had been noticing these odd glances he sent her way occasionally, more often now then a week ago. They would last usually for a good minute or two, untill Ino grew uncomfortable, and said something, and Shikamaru would flush and quickly look away, muttering excuses.

And that was enough to get Ino thinking for a whole night, and wondering what went on in that genius, 200 IQ brain of his.

So Ino, having gotten ready and eaten breakfast, decided to head out a little earlier than normal. She needed a good walk and some peace to clear her mind, and act dignified in front of her fellow comrades. She gave her father a goodbye and walked out. Her father, meanwhile, worried over his daughter's odd and distant behavior, and hoped she would clear up when she got home.

Ino decided to walk directlly to the training spot, and wait beneath a tree that was nearby, allowing her some peace for a while, since she was a half an hour early. She sank down underneath a willow tree, and rested her head against its smooth bark. Unexpectedly, even before she got a chance to think, something rustled in the bushes nearby.

Ino sighed, and sat up, waiting to see who it was.

To her shock, it was Shikamaru. Why she was shocked, was for two reasons. One, she had not expected anyone to be here, and two, this was SHIKAMARU we were talking about. The lazy, cloud gazer was here 25 minutes early! She wondered if he had gone loony when the fact finally dawned on her.

She would be here, with Shikamaru, for close to half and hour! The others weren't going to get here yet, especially not Chouji, so it was only the two of them.

"Umm... Hi, Shikamaru. What are you doing here so early?" Ino stammered out, attempting to make conversation.

" Hn... I woke up earlier than usual, and had nothng else to do, so I came here." he replied, thinking 'at least it wasn't a complete lie...'

"oh.. OK..."

And that was all. Ino's attempt at conversation failed patheticaly, and the next 20 minutes were spent in awkward silence, each of them thinking about their own seperate things untill Asuma and Chouji arrived.

When they did finally arrive, the two's relief was unimaginable as they lept up, causing the sensei to sweat-drop, and wonder what had made them this eager to train so early in the morning.

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Some hours later, Shikamaru sighed and stretched, happy to get training over with. The 'brief' 20 minute wait earlier was awkward, which made talking later even more awkward, so the two (other one being Ino, of course) acted stiff and tried to avoid any unnecessary contact whatsoever, while still avoiding looking suspicious, and getting anyone involved.

Frankly, Shikamaru didn't want a whole host of people getting involved in his love life other than Ino. And Asuma or his parents, which can't be helped. Still, he tried to act as unsuspicious as possible while around them, in order to avoid attracting attention, and end up being the talk of the town.

He pretty much kept to himself, though he seeked help when he was feeling exceptionally confused and muddled. Naruto, who suprisingly gave good advice, though he didn't trust him with a name considering his large mouth, Kiba, and Chouji.

Ino wasn't much the same way, she was less extreme. She had a few of her friends and teammates, which she felt were trustworthy.

There were: Hinata , who had troubles of her own, and was very helpful as a person to confide in, if you just ignore the tomato-red blushes and stutters, Sakura, yes, the forehead girl, she and Ino had been friends for a long time, and although they turned semi-rivals recently, she still felt she could trust her, Tenten, who was having problems with an ignorant Neji, and often came to her, and Chouji, who knew quite a bit about Shikamaru, being one of his childhood and best friends. She also confided in some of the adults, being Kurenai, Tsunade, and sometimes Anko, who had experience in these things.

Though they reacted a bit diferently, at this point in time, they were thinking much the same thing: 'Love is sooo troublesome...'

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Okay then, chappy finished. I apologize for the short chapters, but this is really all I can manage for the time being.

Well, see ya next time! And remember, please push the pretty lavender button below and review! I'll even throw in a cookie or two. )


	4. Chapter 4 Confusion

Ohayo, everyone! Whitelilyangel here! Sorry for the delay... Eh heh heh... Ii know I haven't updated for a while...Easy on the flamers, 'kay? . No cursing...

Well, next chapter of Unknown Love is here, as our star cast, Ino and Shikamaru drift deeper into confusion, love, and question... Let's see what happens next in this thrilling story of romance! .

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"So, what do you think I should do?" Ino, who's head was about to explode, with the many lingering questions and worries she had. "Come on, Ino-pig! You've got the guts! (I should know) Ask him out!" Sakura replied. "T-they say y-you never k-know until you t-t-try..." Hinata chimed in. "A-although I never h-had enough confidence to ask N-n-Naruto out..." "yeah, Neji is always so intimidating... It's hard to speak up around him..." added TenTen 

"Well, if I ask him out, there's a chance that he'll reject me, but if I wait, he'll find another girl, like Temari, and I don't want that...And if I don't confess, I'll never be relieved of this stream of mass confusion, but if I do I'll face depression if he rejects me... Agh!! What am I to do???"

"O-or you could w-wait f-for another w-week or s-so, a-and see w-what turns up..."

"Well, see the thing is, I don't wanna wait anymore!"

"Well, go for it girl... "

"W-well, you n-never know u-untill you try..."

"... I-I guess so..."

"Come on, Ino-pig! I know you have the guts... This isn't like you."

"Shut up! This is different..." Ino was fuming, her pride hanging on a thread.

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Yet another training day came, and yet again, Ino was early again. She saw a shadow in the trees- a plump, chubby figure, and walked over to it. 

"Chouji... What are you doing here so early?" It was rare to see him early, considering the amount of time he spent at the breakfast table.

"Eh heh heh... I finished breakfast early..."

They sat there for what seemed like ages before Chouji spoke up.

"So what happened between Shikamaru and you? You've been acting oddly. Shikamaru is more distant then ever."

Ino jumped at the question, and struggled to answer.

"W-well I... um... we..."

"Come on... I'm worried. You can tell me..."

"There's nothing between us, ok. It's not as if I like him.. You must be mistaken." The words flew out of her mouth, and she knew that they were all lies, but she couldn't help it.

"Ok..." Chouji relpied, even though he knew better. He recalled Shikamaru's words and decided not to say anything. _I don't want to end up being the talk of the town... That would be so troublesome..._

Ino sighed in relief, and thought she was let off for the time being.

--------------------------Meanwhile, nearby-----------------------------

Shikamaru had arrived at the bushes that circled the training feild that his team trained at. Hearing some whispering, he quietly snuck behind and saw who it was- Ino and Chouji.

"----- I --like-----you" (Author's note: "--" words Shikamaru couldn't make out"

Shikamaru pulled back immediatly. Ino liked Chouji? He knew that they (Ino and Chouji) were getting closer as buddies, but never thought it was this. He listened some more...

"--- sure---I------you---" It was Chouji's voice this time.

He tried to regain his calm, and fight down the raging emotions inside him. "Troublesome..." he muttered... He didn't know why he cared, but somehow, this hurt him more than he expected. Looking at his watch, he headed reluctantly to the feild.

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"Oh, hi Shikamaru." 

"Hey Chouji..." Shikamaru yawned..."What are you doing here so early?"

"He was less of a pig today!" Ino grinned.

_"She looks cute that way... sigh... why am I caring... She's already taken..."_

"Shikamaru!" He jumped, shaken out of his daze and dodged a kunai thrown by none other than Ino. He had gone off in a daze in the middle of a training session! He didn't think it could get any worse.

"Shikamaru? Hey..." He blinked as a hand waved in front of him.

"oh... what?" He had dozed off again. Really, this was beginning to be a huge pain.

"Are you okay? You've been distant today..."

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Shikamaru muttered. "Anyway, see ya later..."

Ino blinked, and hurried after him. "What's wrong?"

He sighed, and decided to confront her. "Is he treating you right?"

Now Ino was confused. "What? Who is?" "The one you're going out with."

"The one I'm going out with...? What do you mean...?" Ino didn't know what Shikamaru was talking about.

Shikamaru sighed. "I thought you were with Chouji."

Ino blinked twice. "WHHAAT?"

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Muwa hah hah... cliff hanger... Anyway, the chapter really wasn't that long... most if it was the characters speaking...

But, I'm glad I finally updated! Yay me... And then the next chapter... Well, all for my loyal readers! Hope you keep on reading and commenting... The more comments, the sooner I'll update.

Untill the next chapter...

This has been WhiteLilyAngel...

Ja ne!


	5. Chapter 5 Resolutions

And, here I am, back from a very long... um... delay. -.-; Shrinks into a corner Gomenasai... had a major writing block... Well, back on track now, with the last chappy . Enjoy, and again, sorry for the delay.

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_Previously:_

He sighed, and decided to confront her. "Is he treating you right?"

Now Ino was confused. "What? Who is?" "The one you're going out with."

"The one I'm going out with...? What do you mean...?" Ino didn't know what Shikamaru was talking about.

Shikamaru sighed. "I thought you were with Chouji."

Ino blinked twice. "WHHAAT?"

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Silence, as the two very bewildered ninjas stared at each other. Shikamaru finally broke the silence, " Well, are you?"

Silence, again for a long moment... The world seemed overly quiet, and tense as if awaiting.

Ino finally answered, "What makes you think I'm with Chouji?? ... I mean, well he is nice and all but... Of all people, do you seriously think I'd go for HIM? When did you get this notion?" Shikamaru shrunk back as Ino seemingly lit on fire.

"Well, I overheard a part of your conversation yesterday before training... And it sounded as if Chouji was asking you out."

Ino sighed. "Well, did you ever consider the parts you may not have heard?"

Shikamary blinked this time... thinking. He DID destinctly recall that the conversation was a bit fuzzy at parts, but he was too distressed to think about it. Now that Ino mentioned it, if he had overheard some important parts, an ordinary conversation could sound a LOT different.

"Now that you mention it, I think I DID miss a few parts..."

"A FEW? I think you missed a lot. And this is coming from a genius." Ino rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I was distracted, okay? Give me a break. How do you think I would have felt after that? "

"Well, how DID you feel?" The words flew out of Ino's mouth, coming out before she could catch them.

The question shook Shikamaru, and for a moment, he paused. Then he said softly, in a barely audible voice, "Sad. Lonely. You could never imagine my shock."

Ino stopped dead in her tracks, and stared. A million thoughts were running through her head, and her face warmed up considerably. Surely, this couldn't be true? "W-what do you mean?" she managed to stammered out.

Shikamaru took a deep breath, and prepared himself. He was going to do this, even if it killed him. "What I mean is..." He paused.

"well?"

"I've had considerable... feelings for you for quite a while. Will you..."

"..." Ino was silent, unable to utter a single word.

"God this is so troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered under his breath. "Will you... go out with me, Ino? It would... make me very happy."

Another silence, for a considerable length. Time seemed to stop, the world seemed to cease its turning.

Ino smiled, though tears. "This can't be possible..."

"It IS possible. I just made the offer."

She smiled again and said, "Yes, yes I will, Shika."

Shikamaru sighed again, this time in relief.

"Troublesome."

"Lazy bum."

The couple smiled at each other and joined hands, slowly walking home, hand in hand.

And of course, they lived happily ever after...

"SHIKAMARU!!"

"What'd I DO??"

Or not...

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SIGH. There. Done. Fini. I hope you've enjoyed this, and please review .

My next will probably be a one-shot, so please look for it in the days to come ...D

'Till next time,

_WhiteLilyAngel_


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